Fall 2012 (.pdf format) - The Animal League of Green Valley

What’s in a name?Did you ever wonder how theanimals at The Animal League gettheir names? Some animals cometo us with a name and of course wekeep it, even if it means we haveBenji 1 and Benji 2 in the kennels.Licorice When an original name must bechosen there are several possibilities. First, thelocation where they were found gives us names likeTubac or Mariposa. Of course some pets just looklike their name; it’s obviously part of their aura. Forinstance, the black and white cat is Domino or thewhite dog is Casper and the black cat is Licorice.Some pets exhibit a personality trait that influencesthe naming: Princess, Roxy, Buddha or Chico.Other animals provoke images of famous people orother critters: Scooby, Lauren or Remington.When naming litters that arrive at our doorstep it ishelpful to keep the names in a “theme”, such as theCereal Puppies: Trix, Captain Crunch, & Chex ~the Weather Puppies: Monsoon, Rain, Snow &Rainbow ~ the Salad Kittens: Waldorf and Caesar~ or the Fruit Kitties: Kiwi, Plum & Blackberry. Thismakes it easier to recognizelittermates, and if by chancethey return to us, it gives a frameof reference to their origin. Thenthere are names that just appearout of nowhere: Peekytoe,Koda, or Squiggy.SquiggyNaming our animals at TALGVis a group effort. It all dependson who is present at the time ofintake and where those mindsgo at that moment to think up aname.When you go to name your next Casperpet, here are some things youshould consider when searching for that perfectmoniker. Keep it short - preferably one or twosyllables so that it’s easy for your pet to learn.Match it to the pet’s personality or appearance.Use your imagination: a favorite book character, aninteresting place, a favorite actor or food. And don’tforget your sense of humor, you can always takethe initiative and be totally original when you namea pet: Pita Pan, Captain Insane-O, Schmorkle orRootie Patatootie!As in many other shelters, wegive our adoptable pets creativenames or names that provide apeek into the pet’s personality.But if you can’t envision yourselfhollering for Polly Picklepuss,Benji 2 and you prefer to give your pet anew name, animal behavioriststell us it is okay to change a pet’s name. Here’show: add their new name to their old name for afew weeks, then gradually phase out the old one.Your new pet will happily respond to whatevername you choose.Petfinder.com, the largest online database of adoptable pets, announced its 2011 ranking of the mostpopular, most unusual names and “celebrity name-a-likes.” Here’s what’s trending….Top Dog Names Top Cat Names Most Unusual Names Celebrity Name-A-Likes1. Buddy2. Max3. Daisy4. Bella5. Lucy6. Molly7. Charlie8. Jack9. Sadie10. Rocky1. Lucy2. Smokey3. Bella4. Charlie5. Tiger6. Oreo7. Daisy8. Molly9. Max10. Midnight1. Dodgy WodgySchookum Doodle2. Polly Picklepuss3. Sukimaypoo4. Iben Hooked5. Blue Sparkles McGillicutty6. Killer the Dog DominatingDeclawed Cat7. Purr-etzle8. Fluff Dog Millionaire9. Jimmy Chews10.Ishkabibble1. Barry Meow-nilow2. Katy Purry3. Ally McBeagle4. Brad the Pit5. Rascal Catts6. Ringo Starr7. Cindy Clawford8. Cindy Dogford9. Vera Fang10. Lady Gaga3